When I bopped into urgent care yesterday afternoon, I figured I’d be in and out quickly. A quick series of snips and freedom from my damn stitches.
Instead? Surprise! I left with the same sutures I walked in with—and a couple of bonus prescriptions. Joy, joy, joy…down in my heart.
Turns out, I got incomplete aftercare instructions from the otherwise stellar ER team.
For the past week, I’ve been diligently keeping my lips clean and moisturized, thinking I was following orders to a T. But according to the urgent care doctor, I was actually supposed to keep them as dry as possible to promote proper healing. Yikes.
The moisture, it turns out, created the perfect environment for a "minor" infection to take hold. So minor I’m now taking two different antibiotics to clear it up.
Long story short? FUCK ME RUNNING!!!
To say I was disappointed and frustrated would be a laughable understatement.
I held it together at urgent care. I kept it together at the pharmacy. But the second I got home and was alone, I broke down in tears.
I guess I was more ready to have those sutures out than I realized.
Because it’s never just about the infection, or the delay, or the inconvenience. It’s the cumulative weight of yet another thing not going the way it was supposed to.
But…such is life, right? It’s usually a compilation of delays and detours. And yes, occasionally, incomplete instructions from medical professionals who take some things for granted.
I’ve never had sutures before. Who knew I needed to ask for specifics on how to “clean” them? So I’m trying to remind myself that healing is rarely linear. Sometimes it’s a jagged little pill of two steps forward, one step back, with long pauses of doing nothing but hoping our bodies (and lives) sort themselves out behind the scenes.
Today, I’m still in stitches—literally and emotionally—but I’m here and doing better than okay. Antibiotics in hand. A little pissed, a little sore, and a little wiser about wound care. And that counts for something.
The silver lining? My blood pressure at urgent care—before the doc delivered the bad news—was the best it’s been in years. So I’m leaning into yet another round of silver linings and personal victories. I hope you can, too, boo.
Keep calm and heal on!
Clint 🌈✌️
P.S. Day by day, I’m closer to being fully moved out of my old place. So excited!
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FOR YOUR (SUBSTACK) CONSIDERATION
ON THIS DAY = AUGUST 4
BIRTHDAYS
1792 = Percy Bysshe Shelley = English poet and playwright 🌈
1821 = Louis Vuitton = French fashion designer
1839 = Walter Pater = English essayist and art critic 🌈
1898 = Ernesto Maserati = Italian race car driver and engineer
1900 = Queen Elizabeth = The Queen Mother of the UK
1901 = Louis Armstrong = American trumpet player and singer
1920 = Helen Thomas = American journalist and author
1933 = Rudi van Dantzig = Dutch choreographer and dancer 🌈
1944 = Richard Belzer = American actor
1945 = Paul McCarthy = American painter and sculptor
1950 = Sapphire = American writer 🌈
1955 = Billy Bob Thornton = American actor, director, and screenwriter
1961 = Barack Obama = American lawyer, politician, 44th POTUS, and Nobel Prize laureate
1968 = Daniel Dae Kim = South Korean-American actor
1968 = Lee Mack = English comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
1970 = John August = American director and screenwriter 🌈
1971 = Marcus Urban = German footballer and diversity adviser 🌈
1983 = Greta Gerwig = American actor and filmmaker
EVENTS
1693 = According to tradition, Dom Perignon invents champagne on this date.
1821 = The Saturday Evening Post debuts as a weekly newspaper.
1950 = Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye is released in theaters.
1987 – The Federal Communications Commission rescinds the Fairness Doctrine which required radio and television stations to give equal time to opposing views.
1988 = “Coming Home for Friends,” a sold-out gospel show hosted by Dionne Warwick, draws 6,500 people and raises $150K for the Minority AIDS Project. Performers include Al Jarreau, Natalie Cole, and Patti LaBelle.
1995 = Babe is released in theaters.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY
“There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell them.”
Louis Armstrong
“I never want to be anything more than I am; what I don't have, I don't need.”
Louis Armstrong
That sucks! You're supposed to get specific aftercare instructions both verbally and in writing. Someone dropped the ball there.
For me the time & energy spent is the big thing. Something didn't go the way it was supposed to. X hours of time & energy are gone and I've gotten no work done, have not caught up on sleep, and I definitely had no R&R. Then there's the carry over consequence that EVERYTHING is pushed back that X number of hours.
It's absolutely maddening. I feel your pain.
I never know stitches had to be physically removed. All the ones I've had in the past just fall out on their own when the time was right. Hopefully things get better for ya soon.